St. Patrick's Day brings with it pot of celebration gold

Ben Furtado/Auburn JournalCalvin Mellor, left, and his fellow second-graders at Auburn Elementary School show off the contraptions they built in hopes of catching Larry the Leprechaun for St. Patrick’s Day.

Joy Nesmith’s second-graders have set some serious leprechaun T-R-A-P-S.Rumor around the Auburn Elementary classroom Monday was that Larry the Leprechaun might stop by for some St. Patrick’s Day tricks.So, in an attempt to catch Larry, Nesmith’s students raided their kitchen cabinets and closets, using everything from oatmeal canisters to shoe boxes as the foundation for traps. Be careful not to say the word out loud too many times though.“If you say it more than 50 times, they won’t come,” second-grader Ariana Ball said, explaining why she and her classmates prefer spelling out the word T-R-A-P. Why try to, er, snag a leprechaun?“We’re trying to catch them so we get a lot of gold,” second-grader Hunter Campbell said.The students say the best way to catch a leprechaun is to trick him. “They don’t listen to you so I put a sign that says, ‘Don’t come in,’” second-grader Hope Barba said about her shoebox contraption. Glitter is also good, because it might make a leprechaun think they’ve found gold. Larry left a taunting note for the class Monday, which Ariana Ball found folded up like a paper airplane. “It says, ‘Ha ha, hee hee, you kant ketch me,’” she said. Apparently Larry needs a spelling lesson, so Nesmith’s students even wrote little leprechaun letters, hoping to leave a good example for their classroom visitor. Nesmith said it’s a safe bet that Larry the Leprechaun will visit her classroom for St. Patrick’s Day — he has a tendency to stop by each year, bringing with him family members like his brother, Uncle Liver Lips. “He’s known as the messiest, dirtiest, trickiest leprechaun known to man,” second-grader Calvin Mellor said. Whether or not you happen to capture a leprechaun today, there is plenty of holiday fun to be found in the Auburn area today to celebrate St. Patrick. The Irish have observed St. Patrick’s Day as a religious holiday for more than a thousand years, according to History.com. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated March 17 as the saint’s religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century.Auburn has its own St. Patrick’s Day parade, coordinated by the Auburn Hook & Ladder. The parade begins at 5:17 p.m. today on Lincoln Way, near the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, weaving through Downtown Auburn and ending up in Old Town. Coordinated by the Auburn Hook & Ladder No. 1, this parade is welcome to anyone who’d like to participate, said Tom Carlisle, Auburn Hook & Ladder first assistant foreman. “Anybody who wants to get out and be seen shows up,” he said. Carlisle said the parade is an excellent way for firefighters and community members to show their local pride. Along the parade route are a number of eateries and watering holes sharing in the revelry.

California ClubAfter the parade ends in Old Town, one stop to check for dinner is the California Club (1580 Lincoln Way), cooking up corned beef, cabbage and potatoes for the post-parade crew. Food’s available on a first-come, first-served basis, starting around 6 p.m. Donations are accepted. Call (530) 885-6453 for information.

Auburn AlehouseNearby, at the Auburn Alehouse, you’ll find festivities in the form of food and drinks. The Alehouse is pouring a special release, McFord’s Irish Red, and serving up a $20-per-person St. Patrick’s Day meal, which includes an Irish Egg (hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, breaded and deep fried), beer-braised beef brisket and a stout float, made with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the Alehouse’s Shanghai Stout. Auburn Alehouse is located at 289 Washington St., and can be reached at (530) 885-2537.

Tsuda’s Old Town EateryAcross the street, at Tsuda’s Old Town Eatery (103 Sacramento St., Auburn), those wearing green can score corned beef sandwiches for a whopping $3.17. Call (530) 823-2233 for more information.

Constable Jack’sDown the hill, Constable Jack’s (515 Main St., Newcastle) is serving up corned beef and cabbage, bangers and mash and live Celtic music by Tad Katada, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Call (916) 663-9385 or visit www.constablejacks.com for more information.

Auburn Education FoundationFun for the whole family can be found at Skyridge School (800 Perkins Way, Auburn), where the Auburn Education Foundation hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Get your fill of corned beef and cabbage — pasta’s also available, by the way — for $11 per adult or $6 per child 12 or younger. Family packs, covering two adults and three children, are also available, for $30. Live music and opportunity drawings round out the evening, which benefits Auburn Union Elementary School District programs. Tickets are available through the district office and Skyridge, Auburn Elementary, Rock Creek and E.V. Cain school offices. Call (530) 885-7019 for more information.The Journal’s Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.